Foreword

In 1999, the previous Auditor-General presented a report that concluded that the Ministry of Fisheries was managing most of New Zealand’s fish stocks without being sure if that management was sustainable. The report made 7 recommendations on how the Ministry could improve its management of fisheries information.

In 2004, I undertook a follow-up report to see how well the Ministry had implemented the 7 recommendations we made in 1999. I am encouraged by the progress the Ministry has made in implementing most of those recommendations, but I believe that further improvements can be made. Accordingly, this report makes 4 additional recommendations.

The Ministry is focusing increasingly on the work needed to protect the marine environment from the effects of fishing. I agree with the direction the Ministry is taking, but I am concerned about the time being taken to complete the work on environmental standards. This work needs to be completed as soon as possible.

I thank the staff of the Ministry of Fisheries, and the other organisations involved, for their co-operation and assistance during this performance audit.

K B Brady
Controller and Auditor-General

1 June 2005